Before surgery, you will meet your anesthesiologist; the selection of anesthesia deserves careful consideration and discussion. Take time to discuss the options with your doctor, and be sure to ask questions about things you don't understand.

Your physician will ask you which medications you usually take. Aspirin for instance, is also a blood thinner and it is important to know if you take some. He will tell you which medications you should stop taking and which you should continue to take before surgery and after surgery.

Types of anesthesia :

• Local anesthesia is not used for knee surgery.
• General anesthesia affects your entire body, leaving you in a deep sleep. It is given by injection. The anesthesiologist will place a breathing tube down your throat and administer oxygen to assist your breathing.
• Regional (peridural) anesthesia : you remain conscious and it does not affect your brain and breathing. Sedatives can be given to relax you during the operation.

Both of these technics have risks General anaesthetic risks are always present as anybody undergoes general or regional anaesthesia, and your anesthesiologist will tell you about them.. The risks of course are magnified if you have abnormal general medical conditions which may have affected the functions of your vital organs such as heart, lungs, liver, or kidneys. Therefore a complete evaluation of those systems has to be performed if necessary before surgery.

You will be told not to eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before your surgery.

Post operatively:

You will be moved to the recovery room, where you will remain one to two hours while your recovery from anesthesia is monitored. Postoperative pain relief is delivered intravenously. Your blood pressure, and heart rate will be monitored by a nurse, who, with the assistance of the doctor, will determine when you are ready to leave the recovery room. Then you will be taken either to your hospital room or after knee reconstruction to special room for 24 hours to continue monitoring if necessary.

Pain relief after surgery : postoperative pain management is a very important aspect of your treatment! The goal is to minimize pain and stress, and to enable you to do the required physical therapy. Medication will be given to you to make you feel as comfortable as possible. After knee reconstruction, you will be able to control the flow of medication, within preset limits, as you feel the need for additionnal relief. This process is called "PCA".

You will have blood thinners to prevent blood clots.

Docteur Jean Etienne Perraudin last reviewed 03/09/2012